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After more than three decades of research by archaeologist Phil Weigand, the pre-Hispanic west of Mexico is now renowned for the presence of the Teuchitlán tradition, characterized by concentric circular pyramids associated with the shaft-tombs tradition. Shaft tombs are characterized by vertical shafts and horizontal chambers. This makes them potential targets for geophysical exploration. This research reviewed what had been written so far about the Teuchitlán tradition, and, considering that shaft tombs are an important element of that tradition, employed electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) to investigate these subterranean structures at the Los Guachimontones and Santa Quiteria archaeological sites. The ERT data were forward modeled and inverted. Forward modeling was carried out to enhance the understanding of these archaeological structures in real contexts. The modeled the tombs imitated the typical boot and bottle designs found in western Mexico, and they demonstrated high resistivity values. ERT data from Los Guachimontones successfully identified resistivity anomalies associated with the tombs, supported by forward-modeling results. However, at Santa Quiteria, while clear subsurface disturbances were detected, conclusive evidence of intact shaft tombs remained elusive. These findings underscore the potential of ERT for detecting shaft tombs but also highlight the challenges posed by complex geological conditions and potential site disturbance.
Infants born at high altitudes, such as in the Puno region, typically exhibit higher birthweights than those born at low altitudes; however, the influence of ethnicity on childhood anthropometric patterns in high-altitude settings remains poorly understood. This study aimed to characterise the nutritional status, body composition and indices, and somatotype of Quechua and Aymara children aged 6–10 years. A cross-sectional, descriptive, and comparative design was employed, with a simple random sampling of children from six provinces representative of the Puno region, including 1,289 children of both sexes. Twenty-nine anthropometric measurements were taken, and fat, muscle, and bone components were assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Standardised equations were applied to determine body indices. Among the findings, most children presented normal nutritional status according to BMI-for-age and height-for-age Z-scores. However, high rates of overweight and obesity were observed in Aymara (39%) and Quechua (28.4%) children, with differences in fat content between ethnic groups at the 5th, 10th, 50th, and 75th percentiles. Both groups were characterised by brachytypy and brachybrachial proportions; Quechua children were mesoskelic and Aymara brachyskelic, with macrocormic proportions, rectangular trunks, and broad backs. The predominant somatotype was mesomorphic, with a stronger endomorphic tendency among Aymara. It is concluded that both groups exhibit normal nutritional status; however, Aymara children show a greater tendency towards fat accumulation and notable morphological differences. Differences were also observed in limb proportions, particularly a relatively shorter lower limb.
The increasing relevance of horizon scanning (HS), early awareness (EA), and disinvestment (DIS) highlights the need for a structured approach to capacity building. Although these fields are essential for evidence-based policy decisions, a harmonized education and training framework to develop necessary competencies is lacking. This article presents the development of a curriculum designed to address this gap in training.
Methods
A transdisciplinary working group was established, drawing on international stakeholders from academia, the public sector, and industry. Using an iterative consensus-driven approach, the group developed a modular curriculum. The curriculum design incorporated best practices from existing education programs in related fields and emphasized case-based learning strategies to ensure contextual adaptability.
Results
The resulting curriculum covers theoretical foundations, practical applications, and decision-making processes related to HS, EA, and DIS in eight modules. It supports diverse learner needs, including trainees, training institutions, and public and private organizations, and is designed to be flexible, scalable, and applicable across different regional and organizational contexts.
Conclusions
This curriculum initiative represents a major step toward harmonizing capacity building in HS, EA, and DIS. It fosters sustainability, enhances global health system preparedness, and provides a structured educational platform to support the effective integration of emerging health technologies and evidence-based disinvestment strategies.
To estimate the within-households association between change in income over time and food purchases in a national panel of households. The need to shift towards healthy and sustainable diets is widely recognized, thus the importance of identifying the factors that influence food purchase decisions.
Design:
Longitudinal observational study; for each of the 33 food items queried, we ran a conditional logistic fixed-effect regression model to evaluate the association between change in income per-capita and food purchases (yes/no) during the past week, adjusted by covariates.
Setting:
Mexican Family Life Survey
Participants:
6,008 households that participated in the survey for at least two of the three available waves of study (2002, 2005, and 2009).
Results:
Within-households, the odds ratio (95% CI) of purchasing the food in the past week for an increase in 1 SD of income was 1.09 (1.02, 1.16) for rarer fruits (other than bananas, apples, and oranges); 1.11 (1.04, 1.18) for beef; 1.06 (1.00, 1.13) for canned tuna/sardines; 1.09 (1.02, 1.18) for fish/shellfish; 1.08 (1.02, 1.16) for discretionary packaged products, and 1.15 (1.08, 1.23) for soft drinks. There were some differences by urban/rural area or SES; mainly, those with lower SES had increased odds of purchasing the food item in more cases (10 out of 33 food items).
Conclusions:
households’ income growth can have mixed effects on the healthiness and sustainability of food purchases. Public policies to improve the food environment and nutrition education are necessary to enhance the positive and counteract the negative effect of income.
Virtual exchange is an umbrella term that covers the different ways in which students are brought into collaborative learning projects with international partners in a structured way. It is widely used in foreign language education to develop students’ linguistic, intercultural, and soft skills. Like many themes related to technology, both the terminology used to refer to it and the practice itself have evolved and transformed rapidly. Proof of this is the number of different models of VE with their particular characteristics that have come into existence in the relatively short history of this pedagogical approach. This chapter looks at how VE has grown in popularity in recent years and what we have learned about its potential for foreign language learning and also how it should be integrated into educational programs. It is noted that interest in VE during the last years has also grown into other fields such as secondary education and teacher training.
There is considerable data suggesting that the gut microbiota (GM) contributes to health and regulates host immunity and influences brain function, findings with implications for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).
In the present study, using three non-fat diets with different ratios of unsaturated ω-6/ω-3 fatty acids (FAs)(high or low), we analyzed how minor differences in diet can affect the microbiota of amyloid precursor protein/Presenilin 1 transgenic (APP/PS1 [TG]) mice, a mice model of AD, next, we studied how the levels of sex hormones may affect the GM. The data obtained show that sex hormones in males fed our standard diet (S) modified alpha and beta diversity, whereas no differences were observed in TG mice compared with wild-type mice. Moreover, there were significant differences in both alpha or beta diversity in mice fed with an H or L diet compared with an S diet.
In conclusion, our data indicate that the levels of sex hormones or differences in the ω-6/ω-3 FA ratio alter the GM more than expected. Thus, it is tantalizing to propose that low levels of ω-3 FAs in APP/PS1 mice fed an “H” diet may be responsible for modifying some bacterial genera, exacerbating the basal neuropathology in this AD model.
The Puerto Rico Plain Pigeon Patagioenas inornata wetmorei suffered a severe population decline after hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017. We used distance sampling to estimate abundance (density and population size) in April–June 1986−2024, accounting for changes in detection probability. We used the distance-sampling abundance estimates to populate a Bayesian state–space logistic model and update posterior estimates of population carrying capacity, maximum population growth rate, population recovery time, and predicted abundance in April–June 2025−2034, accounting for observation and process variances. In addition, we used predicted abundance to assess potential extinction risk (probability Pr[N2025−2034 = 0|data]), population self-sustainability above 5,000 individuals (Pr[N2025−2034 >5,000|data]), and population surpassing the 2.5th percentile of carrying capacity (Pr[N2025−2034 >30,000|data]). The population has not recovered from the hurricanes, with estimated density averaging 0.0015 individuals/ha (bootstrapped standard error [SE] = 0.0006) and population size averaging 1,097 individuals (SE = 455) at the 749,000-ha survey region in April–June 2018−2024. Posterior mean estimates were 41,580 individuals (Markov Chain Monte Carlo standard deviation [SD] = 8,052) for population carrying capacity, 0.183 (SD = 0.056) for maximum population growth rate, six years (SD = 2) for recovery time, and 7,173 individuals (SD = 12,309) for predicted abundance in April–June 2025−2034. The population may reach self-sustainability levels (range Pr[N2025−2034 >5,000|data] = 0.326−0.631) but currently is undergoing a prolonged bottleneck and may become extinct (range Pr[N2025−2034 = 0|data] = 0.199−0.332), particularly if reproduction continues to be mostly unsuccessful, anthropogenic disturbances remain unabated, and on top of that another devastating hurricane makes landfall during the next 10 years. The Puerto Rico Plain Pigeon subspecies is in urgent need of management aiming to increase and maintain abundance above 5,000 individuals but preferably surpassing the 2.5th percentile of population carrying capacity as in the late 1990s (range Pr[N2025−2034 >30,000|data] = 0.000−0.181).
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a mental health crisis in adolescents. To evaluate resource needs, we attempted to collect data from Children’s Health Fund’s national network of pediatric practices working in resource-limited settings.
Methods
Data could not be collected largely due to other disaster response priorities for our network. Using a STROBE flowchart, we characterize the inability to collect data, provide insight into network challenges, and offer this report as a case example for the limitations in collecting data during disaster response.
Results
Only 2 of 24 programs had the capacity and the data to participate. Causes of non-participation included shifting work toward other aspects of disaster response, limiting collection of data, or lack of human resources to extract it.
Conclusions
Disaster disproportionately affects under-resourced communities. The lack of resources impairs disaster response due to conflicting priorities in those working within these communities.
There are different types of violence which intersect in occurrences of sexist violence. This article, while granting that structural and symbolic violence are intertwined in a synergic relationship, focuses its attention on structural violence with three purposes in mind: first, to situate reflections made on sexist violence within the framework of epochal changes at the social, economic and political levels; secondly, to investigate in this new context if they are only reproduced, or if they reconfigure the same gender-sex orderings and patterns of inequality and violence that they trigger and legitimize; and, thirdly, to explore the ways in which contemporary socio-political transformations that undermine the functionality of institutions are having an impact on rising sexist violence trends today. Finally, based on the social and subjective changes that have come about in the face of adverse conditions produced through the insertion of social agents, progress is being made toward a differentiation of the forms of occurrence and functionality of sexist violence. In short, the purpose is to develop more specific approaches that will allow us to understand the scourge of sexist violence in our day and contribute to designing intervention strategies.
Objectives/Goals: In recent years, there has been growing interest in the development of air pollution prediction models, particularly in low- and middle-income countries that are disproportionately impacted by the effects of air pollution. Recent methodological advancements, particularly in machine learning, provide novel opportunities for modeling efforts. Methods/Study Population: We estimate daily ground-level fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area at 1-km2 grids from 2005 to 2023 using a multistage approach. Spatial and temporal predictor variables include data from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS), Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), and additional meteorological and land use variables. We employed machine-learning-based approaches (random forest and gradient boosting algorithms) to downscale satellite measurements and incorporate local sources, then utilized a generalized additive model (GAM) to geographically weight predictions from the initial models. Model performance was evaluated using 10-fold cross-validation. Results/Anticipated Results: On average, the random forest, gradient boosting, and GAM models explained 75, 82, and 83% of variations measured in PM2.5 concentrations. PM2.5 levels were generally higher in densely populated urban centers and lower in suburban and rural areas. Important predictors of ground-level PM2.5 included wind (both u and v components), 2-meter mean air temperature, elevation, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Discussion/Significance of Impact: Using novel machine learning-based approaches, we developed robust models with fine-scale spatial (1-km2) and temporal (daily) variations of PM2.5 in Mexico City from 2005 to 2023. The predicted PM2.5 concentrations can further advance public health research on air pollution in Mexico City and beyond.
The consequences of most economic decisions are uncertain; they are conditional on events with unknown probabilities that decision makers evaluate based on their beliefs. In addition to consequences and beliefs, the context that generates events—the source of uncertainty—can also impact preferences, a pattern called source dependence. Despite its importance, there is currently no definition of source dependence that allows for comparisons across individuals and sources. This paper presents a tractable definition of source dependence by introducing a function that matches the subjective probabilities of events generated by two sources. It also presents methods for estimating such functions from a limited number of observations that are compatible with commonly-used choice-based approaches for separating attitudes from beliefs. As an illustration, we implement these methods on three datasets, including two original experiments, and show that they consistently capture clear, albeit heterogeneous, patterns of source dependence between natural sources. Our approach provides a framework for future research to explore how source dependence varies across individuals and situations.
Increased production fragmentation and the resulting rise in intermediates trade have changed the composition and structure of international trade flows. Today, most of global trade is conducted along global value chains (GVCs). However, recent events, such as the financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have exposed the fragility of GVCs. In addition to this, the proliferation of trade agreements with different rules of the game between different groups of countries has made this a more complex problem to solve through the multilateral system. This chapter discusses the role of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) to foster GVC resilience. Building on a novel data set that covers about 700 PTAs and their GVC-related provisions, we first discuss the major trends of GVC-related provisions in PTAs and their impact on the development of value chain complexity. Second, we derive a set of possible instruments which, if included in future PTAs, could make GVCs more resilient and reduce the impact of shocks on trade flows.
The January 6th insurrection at the U.S. capital was an eye-opening moment for many Americans. With the 2024 election cycle in swing, members of the Democratic Party are using January 6th as a rallying call for the need to protect democracy. But were the events of January 6th viewed equally among liberals? We argue that the events of January 6th resonate for a particular demographic well-informed liberal White voters. We argue that liberal minority voters will feel the racial undertones of January 6th more than White liberals. Furthermore, we examine how voters of different races viewed the events of January 6th and how views on race relations impact their perceptions of January 6th. We find that White liberals are less angry about race relations in the aftermath of January 6th, and while they viewed January 6th as an insurrection and blamed Trump and Republicans in Congress for their role, they are less likely to say that racism and White Supremacy motivated the insurrectionists. This paper indicates that race plays a key role in political perceptions, even among those who hold similar political ideologies.
It is often postulated that natural systems are expected to suffer an increasing risk of infectious disease outbreaks as climate change accelerates. In the northern Argentine Sea, the rise of ocean temperature has produced a tropicalization of demersal megafauna since 2013. This rapidly warming hotspot provides an excellent model to test whether fish parasites have increased, declined, or remained stable in the region. Cardiocephaloides physalis a parasite of penguins Spheniscus magellanicus as adult and suspected to parasitize anchovies Engraulis anchoita as larvae is here used to compare their occurrence and abundance between samples composed by 1752 fish of variable age caught at different latitudes during 1993–1995 and 2022 and between 20 juvenile birds and literature data. In the present work, the identity of metacercariae as C. physalis is confirmed genetically, as well as a net decline of population parameters of the parasite to its effective disappearance in anchovies from northern areas and to extremely low levels in fish from southern regions and penguins. After analysing possible causes for such changes in a scenario of rapid regional tropicalization, a direct effect of increasing temperature on parasites arose as the main causal candidate for the observed decline in their populations over the last decades. Beyond the biological and ecological consequences of global change on them, parasites offer excellent systems for measuring and monitoring such effects. The almost local extinction of C. physalis in a marine hotspot of global warming seems to be one of the first examples of such processes.
Ranked among the top 10 global health threats, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prompts concern. Embracing a living evidence synthesis (LES), we address this concern by informing health decision-makers about molecular tests for swift detection of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). This updated HTA report for the Spanish National Health System prioritizes decisions based on the most current evidence, adapting to emerging technologies and evidence.
Methods
The LES commenced with a baseline synthesis, shaping the initial HTA report regarding rapid molecular test impact on safety, efficacy, effectiveness, and patient outcomes in suspected infection cases. Based on this, on 12 July 2023, we initiated a 12-month evidence monitoring process. Utilizing the Living Evidence to Inform Health Decisions (LE-IHD) framework and interactive tools, we conducted ongoing baseline synthesis and evidence tracking. Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Living Overview of Evidence (L.OVE) platform aided in continual evidence identification. Tri-monthly scans of trial registries unveiled ongoing studies. New eligible studies were rigorously assessed. Updates in HTA conclusions were in line with this synthesis.
Results
The baseline synthesis identified 25 systematic reviews that suggested that the use of rapid molecular test for the identification of pulmonary tuberculosis showed good performance, but less evidence or low-quality evidence was available for other medical conditions or on patient outcomes. During the conference, we will report on 11 months of monitoring and regular updates, including key messages on changes in the evidence synthesis conclusions whenever there are substantial updates of the HTA report.
Conclusions
The living evidence approach enables timely updates of conclusions for HTA reports relying on low- and very low-quality evidence, enhancing their significance in decision-making. The LE-IHD framework streamlines tasks for HTA developers in planning and executing LES to inform health decisions.
The evidence synthesis developed to inform decision-making on the use of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for pediatric peritoneal carcinomatosis showed that currently available evidence is of very low quality. As new evidence could arise within the following months, we adopted a rigorous living evidence synthesis (LES) approach to provide a timely update and favor decision-making based on actual evidence.
Methods
This LES started with a baseline synthesis about the effects of CRS and HIPEC on pediatric peritoneal carcinomatosis. On 31 August 2023, we set up the evidence monitoring for up to 12 months. Following the Living Evidence to Inform Health Decisions (LE-IHD) framework, we planned and developed the evidence monitoring, supported by technological enablers. We searched for ongoing studies in trial registries every three months. New eligible studies were assessed following a systematic and reproducible process to decide on their incorporation in the evidence summary. This process was periodically reviewed to determine the continuation/withdrawal of the living mode.
Results
The baseline synthesis identified one systematic review suggesting that CRS and HIPEC could increase overall survival in pediatric peritoneal carcinomatosis (very low-quality evidence), but no comparative data could be obtained against usual care. To date, the evidence monitoring has not identified new relevant studies on the impact of CRS and HIPEC in overall and disease-free survival, morbidity, or quality of life in pediatric peritoneal carcinomatosis. At the time of the conference, we will report on nine months of monitoring and regular updates including key messages on any changes in the evidence synthesis conclusions.
Conclusions
For HTA reports based on very low-quality evidence (uncertain results), the LE approach allows for timely updating of conclusions, adding value in decision-making. The LE-IHD framework facilitates HTA developers’ tasks for planning and conducting LE synthesis to inform health decisions.
The 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP, and the demobilization of the latter, dismantled the governance structures in regions formerly under rebel control. Drawing from a relational security framework, this article explores how, across three case-studies, communities use their former experience of rebel governance as a framework through which they could express expectations and dissatisfaction with new types of order. This blueprint is also used to make specific demands to new or reconstituted armed groups and to take direct action to address governance gaps, reproducing and co-constructing order post-demobilization. However, we observe that both the organization of the community and the capacity and ideology of armed groups could also be limiting factors to the community’s reproduction of order post-demobilization. From a peacebuilding perspective, this means that there can be pressure from below in favor of remobilization, as a predictable insurgent order may be preferable to uncertainty.